Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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For 17 years since its inception in 2007, SOSAD Ireland has provided a crisis lifeline for people struggling with suicidal ideation, self-harm, depression, bereavement, stress and anxiety through the provision of free confidential counselling in-person and remotely, a 24-7 freephone helpline and an online messaging service. This work is supported by a team of 206 volunteer counsellors across Ireland but, without core funding and promised Government intervention, this service - as the Minister of State is aware - is at risk of imminent closure.

Last year in October, during mental health awareness month, a Sinn Féin delegation of which I was a member, met with SOSAD representatives here in Leinster House. Following this, on the floor of the House our spokesperson for mental health, Deputy Mark Ward, raised the crisis facing the organisation directly with the Minister of State. He sought urgent Government intervention. Collectively as a group, we then wrote to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and asked her to meet the group and to facilitate a meeting between the HSE and SOSAD. A positive meeting took place between the Minister of State and SOSAD in early November 2024. This gave the group hope and, crucially, its members were given a personal commitment by the Minister of State on the provision of interim funding to keep the doors open while the group explored sustainability options with the HSE. Since then, unfortunately, the group has had no contact from the Minister of State, no answer to phone calls or emails and no word on the delivery of the promised funding that is desperately needed to keep SOSAD going.

SOSAD's first meeting with the HSE took place in January 2025 and the group is now actively engaging with it and planning for sustainable future funding. However, this will not be possible if it cannot keep the doors open in the meantime. With only a few thousand euro in the bank today, the hope of continuing to firefight is looking more bleak by the minute. Interim funding is essential for SOSAD's survival until it can secure long-term sustainable supports from the HSE. I have written to the Minister of State since November, as has my party leader and our party spokesperson on mental health. Other colleagues around the country have done the same. I have met with SOSAD several times in its Drogheda offices, where I saw the importance of the service at first hand.

For context, I will quickly put on record some of the statistics that will prove, if it was ever in doubt, how invaluable this service is to my home town of Drogheda, throughout Louth and the north east, and nationwide. In 2024, the service offered more than 23,000 counselling sessions to more than 1,900 individual clients from 28 counties and 150 different nationalities. The office in Drogheda facilitated more than 8,000 sessions; in Meath nearly 5,000; in Cavan nearly 3,000; in Laois nearly 3,000; in Dundalk more than 2,000 and in Monaghan more than 1,200. Almost 4% of its clients are under the age of 18. Some 32% are younger than 25 years. A further 25% are aged between 26 and 35, so almost 57% of these people are under the age of 35. Approximately 65% of SOSAD's clients are female and 34% are male. Its helpline offered approximately 250 hours of support last year. It is simply unthinkable and unacceptable that any Minister or Government is prepared to gamble with such vital community-based mental health supports.

The interim emergency funding that was promised must be urgently provided. The Minister of State has an opportunity to intervene here, at the eleventh hour, before it is too late. I plead with her to engage with SOSAD as a matter of urgency and make good on her commitments.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter in the House this evening. I am very familiar with the work of Save Our Sons And Daughters, or SOSAD, which makes a significant contribution to the provision of counselling services in north-east Leinster. It is important that this be acknowledged, as I have done previously.

SOSAD is not currently funded by HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Services. I am aware that, in August 2023, SOSAD applied for section 39 funding. This was not progressed at the time, as HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Services were not procuring new services, given that all funding had been allocated in line with the HSE national service plan.

I understand that, last year, SOSAD's financial situation deteriorated due to a reduction in fundraising and donations. We saw that a lot around the country post Covid. This was brought to my attention in autumn and I met with SOSAD in November. As the Deputy stated, we had a very good meeting. Officials from the Department of Health were also present to discuss the situation. I was very clear at the time. I asked for an amount of interim funding to be provided to help get SOSAD over the Christmas period, following which it could meet with the HSE and try to agree a service-level agreement going forward.

Funding to organisations such as SOSAD is arranged through the section 39 process via local HSE mental health services. It is not directly allocated by me. Following the meeting, I requested that HSE staff from the Louth-Meath area would make contact with SOSAD to outline the steps to be taken for any potential funding application. I accept that the initial contact was slow. It was slower than I would have liked. When I came back after the election, it was one of the first things I checked. I am glad that HSE Louth-Meath has been in direct contact with SOSAD for approximately two months now. My office receives regular updates on these engagements.

As per any negotiations between the HSE and any charity or organisation, there is a requirement to provide information such as audited accounts, annual reports, governance arrangements and board of management details, so that the HSE can undertake due diligence as part of its consideration of any potential funding arrangements. That applies to all NGOs and organisations funded by the HSE through the mental health budget.

I understand that SOSAD is now working to provide all of the relevant information to the HSE. However, I take on board the point Deputy Byrne makes that, while SOSAD is trying to provide this information, it is in a critical situation. The HSE in the Louth-Meath area is supporting SOSAD in its readiness to meet the corporate and clinical governance requirements. Deputy Byrne referred to the 206 volunteers and how the organisation had been in place for 17 years. I accept and acknowledge all the good work SOSAD does, but there are requirements to be met in order for us to fund any individual organisation to provide supports. With 206 volunteers, clinical governance and corporate governance are essential in order to receive State funding. That is the case across any organisation.

Nationally, a key objective of mine is to improve access to counselling and to enhance supports for suicide and suicide bereavement. I have allocated additional funding for these services this year.

I was struck by Deputy Byrne's comment about the gender breakdown of approximately 65% female, 35% male. We see that all over the country, whereby two thirds of all mental health services are accessed by females and only one third by males. That is a real challenge. I will come back in again.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. It was very heartfelt. I believe she understands the sentiment and the urgency of this. The stark reality is that this organisation is in a very vulnerable position. Its closure would be a devastating loss to thousands of people. What is more, I do not believe the HSE and other service providers would be able to fill that gap in its absence in the long term and certainly not in the short term.

Mental health issues and suicide are so prevalent in our society that most people in any room at any given time have been impacted by it in some way, either themselves or through their nearest and dearest. It is, without a doubt, a dark cloud hanging over us and it is never too far away. Lives lost through suicide are probably one form of death that is preventable. It is organisations like SOSAD that play a significant part in preventing many tragic losses. The question is whether these lives are worth saving. If they are, then that intervention is needed now. It is my understanding that the interim funding discussed by the Minister of State and SOSAD was immediate stopgap funding until the compliance and governance procedures that the Minister of State outlined could be met with the HSE. SOSAD is doing that. The downfall seems to be this stopgap funding.

I urge the Minister of State to at least engage in dialogue with SOSAD immediately, advise it on what steps can be taken next and seek out, through her colleagues and counterparts, something to keep its doors open. I have got the commitment from SOSAD and I can guarantee her that the requirements on compliance and governance will be met. All procedures will be thorough and due process will be followed. However, SOSAD will not have time to do that if we cannot keep the doors open, and lives will be lost.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for her advocacy on behalf of the SOSAD suicide prevention group. I do not want to see this service close. I cannot be clearer than that. I understand how uncertainty around services can be very distressing for service users and their families. SOSAD is providing vital supports to many.

I reiterate the point that I do not negotiate with individual organisations myself. It is the HSE that is provided with the budget and it actions that budget to provide support and services all over the country. In order for that to happen, grant aid agreements with any organisation must be compliant with relevant governance codes and aligned to transparent financial arrangements such as audited accounts. To this end, relevant due diligence must be carried out.

Specifically, HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Services has requested information on corporate and clinical governance in line with HSE policies and has provided guidance on the work that SOSAD will need to undertake to comply with the policies ahead of consideration of HSE funding of SOSAD.  This will take time.  I recognise the frustration and challenges of SOSAD; however, these steps are essential and the HSE is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of assurances on corporate and clinical governance.

  I have explored every single avenue I can to get some interim funding for the organisation, but the HSE keeps telling me it is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of the assurances on corporate and clinical governance.  The HSE remains available to SOSAD should any further guidance on the necessary work be needed.  I have engaged with my officials weekly since Christmas on SOSAD.  It is top of the agenda.  I want to see SOSAD continue doing its good work.  I will keep a really close eye on this.